HC Deb 17 February 1879 vol 243 cc1312-3
MR. ANDERSON

asked the Under Secretary of State for India, If he has seen in the "Standard" of the 10th a letter from its correspondent giving a detailed account of the way in which General Roberts is carrying fire and sword into Khost, the substance of which is that after one day of fighting, in which our loss was, besides three camel drivers, only two men killed and four wounded, after the fighting was over, and apparently without any attempt to learn whether the enemy belonged to the neighbourhood or came from a distance, General Roberts issued an order that the numerous villages should be "looted," and "when the time for looting had expired, the order for burning was given," and "in ten minutes as many villages were in a blaze;" that during the day the Dragoons were ordered, in charging, to take no prisoners; that, after the fighting, some ninety prisoners were taken into camp from one of the villages, not by the Dragoons, and tied together with ropes, and on their making some attempt to escape they were set upon, and many of them were slaughtered in their bonds, the letter saying, The scene of this tragedy was appalling. The dead, the living, the dying, and the wounded, were still tied together, and all were lying huddled up in one confused mass of bodies; if Government have any information as to the truth of this account; and, if General Roberts was sent to Khost with orders consistent with the statement in the Viceroy's Proclamation that we had no quarrel with the Sirdars or people of Afghanistan, and would not willingly injure or interfere with them?

MR. E. STANHOPE

Sir, I have read the Report in The Standard of the operations in the Khost Valley. We have not yet received any official Report from General Roberts on the subject; but in a telegram to the Viceroy of India, on the 8th of January, he says— Enemy collected in considerable strength yesterday, almost surrounding the camp. Night attack was evidently intended, so I thought it advisable to take the initiative, and about noon marched out in three small columns. Result was most successful. And then he describes the operations very briefly. On the 10th of January he telegraphed:— Your Excellency may rest assured that every care is taken to secure safety of camp followers, and that no undue severity has been or will he exercised in our dealings with the people. The result of our short sojourn in Kuram is more satisfactory than I could have hoped, and the punishment inflicted here on the 7th inst. was not more than the occasion deserved, and the safety of the force necessitated. Everything is quieting down now, and I hope we shall have no more trouble. Had I been less prompt it might have been different. And on the 13th he adds— The people have had a severe lesson. But as they are being treated with the greatest kindness and consideration, they are rapidly becoming reassured. As to the details mentioned by the correspondent of The Standard, I must ask the House to suspend its judgment until we receive General Robert's Report; but, although our forces have been much exposed to marauding attacks, I have reason to think that General Roberts is as anxious as anyone could be to inflict as little punishment for such outrages as is consistent with justice and with security.